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I am now a Great British Baking Show addict. I didn’t think it would happen. I was looking to watch something that didn’t require a lot of brain power to be honest and I’ve always had a fascination for cooking shows so when I saw the Great British Baking Show on Netflix, I said why not? What’s one episode? Then it became 3 episodes, then the whole season, then another season, then the Masterclass and I am now in a spiral. OK, a little dramatic, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching not only the competition but the inventiveness of these amateur bakers. I especially love when bakers bring out flavors from their own culture. I love seeing mango, passion fruit and ube being experimented with because these are the flavors I grew up with and too see them somewhat on the mainstream is amazing.

With all of this show watching, I also started to get the itch to create and make something. I love to experiment and make stuff, so as I was perusing the aisles at our local Wholefoods, I found this can of almond paste or as others know it to be marzipan. I didn’t know what to do with it, but I bought it anyways. I had envisioned using it to decorate a cake I was planning on making for my sister’s birthday, but that did not end up being the case. For that, I ended up making a matcha cake with buttercream and cream cheese frosting. It was already delicious and didn’t need extra sugar or flair.

So I searched online for a quick and simple cookie that required the use of the marzipan, but I just didn’t want to use the almond paste only. So as with all experiments, here’s what I came up with to make these mouth, watering cookies. A bit plain, but goes excellent with tea or coffee. They are reminiscent of the cookies/scones I make every year during the holidays.

Ingredients

1 stick of butter (softened)

1 can of almond paste

2 eggs

1 cup of flour

1 tsp of orange extract

Instructions

Break up the almond paste into small pieces as you add them into the mixer

Alternate with adding pieces of softened butter

Mix until it’s smooth. You may have to scrape the sides every so often.

Add the eggs, one at a time.

Continue to mix.

Add the flour ⅓ at a time until it is well incorporated.

Add the orange extract

Place into little mounds on to a baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes until slightly golden brown

Quick Almond Cookies Using Pre-Made Marzipan

You won’t need to add sugar to this because the almond paste already has sugar. The consistency will be soft with a slight crunch and orange extract gives it a nice hint of flavor. Alternatively, you can also dip these in chocolate and add grated almonds on top for an even richer treat. The possibilities are endless. Great with coffee, hot chocolate or tea.